Prometheus
by Mud6
Summary: The guys go planet-hopping and find a Tok'ra, who is being punished in much the same way as the Prometheus of legend. Naturally, they decide to free him - but there are complications. Thanks to BizzyLizzy for pointing out the formatting errors! Complete.
1. Default Chapter

Mess hall. Mess hall. Mess hall.

Daniel repeated this to himself over and over again as he strode down the SGC hallways, until he had reached his destination. Then he started internally chanting the reason for this early-morning trip: Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.

Once two mugs of coffee were safely cradled in his hands, one already half finished, he managed to bring himself to look up. Jack was sitting at one of the tables in the corner, facing the door like most of the military personnel preferred to do. Shrugging to himself, he headed over to his friend, still thinking 'Coffee, coffee, coffee', just because the word made him happy.

As he slid into a seat, he noticed that Jack was eating something that looked like it might be, just might be, oatmeal. Daniel squinted dubiously.

"Hey, Danny boy," Jack said, around a mouthful of the could-be-oatmeal. Daniel was having second thoughts about that: Jack had been working on the same mouthful since he'd spotted him, and surely even Air-Force porridge wasn't _that_ chewy.

"Hey, Jack. What're you doing here so early?"

"Eating." Jack stopped chewing long enough to look down at his food. "That is... Ingesting something that someone, somewhere, apparently thinks is food." Satisfied with the description, he resumed chewing. And chewing. And chewing.

Daniel watched in fascination for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "What... Uh, what is it?"

Jack shrugged. "Something more substantial than two mugs of coffee," he said, looking pointedly at Daniel's 'breakfast'. "I think it's made of cardboard and old shoes."

Mm, Daniel thought happily, Coffee. "So. What's on the schedule for today?"

Chew, chew, chew. "P3Y-229, or something. Another first contact, God help us." Chew, chew, chew. "With luck, these guys won't try and kill us."

For a moment it looked like Jack was going to swallow, and Daniel found himself leaning forward expectantly. He was disappointed, however. The chewing went on. "Oh, yeah. The briefing's at ten, right? I hear the MALP showed promising signs of... of..." He trailed off. His higher brain function had been hijacked by the need to think of as many synonyms for the word "chew" as he could. Masticate. Ruminate. Munch? Gnaw? Were those acceptable, given the context?

"Daniel?"

"Champ. Uh, I mean, what?"

"Promising signs of..." Jack prompted. Chew, chew, chew.

"Oh, you know... People... I think I heard something about trinium..."

"Yeah. You okay there, Danny?"

"Oh, sure, yes."

"Okay."

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Aren't you going to, you know, swallow that?"

Jack stared at him with open disbelief. "Are you crazy, Daniel? This stuff could kill me!"

"...Oh." Daniel shrugged, and forcibly turned his thoughts to a more pleasing subject. Ah, coffee. Time for a refill.


	2. Chapter 2

The Tau'ri were strange. Teal'c had noticed that fact when he had first sworn allegiance to Earth, and at the time, it hadn't concerned him. They could have as many odd customs and inexplicable beliefs and pointless sayings as they liked, as long as they were capable of combating the goa'uld threat. Now, however, it had become apparent that their peculiarity was rubbing off on him. They had stepped through the Stargate five minutes before, and had found the area around the 'gate to be rich in vegetation, as Major Carter had informed them it would be. She had _not_ informed them of the forest a short distance away, at the base of a steep slope.

Upon seeing that forest, O'Neill had begun a steady mumbled stream of tree-related curses, and apart from issuing brief orders, he had not stopped since. This was not unusual. What bothered Teal'c was that he had observed Daniel Jackson and Major Carter exchange eye-rolls of amusement – and he, a Jaffa, had smiled. Smiled! Fortunately, he had caught himself and resumed his usual impassive expression before anyone noticed.

"You okay, Teal'c? You look a little worried."

Teal'c started. They had noticed? He really _was_ losing his touch. These humans were a bad influence. "I am fine, Daniel Jackson," he intoned solemnly.

"Desert or trees, trees or desert, you know, there _are _other ways to decorate a planet!" O'Neill was saying.

"They were not deliberate decoration, O'Neill," said Teal'c, because it amused him to watch the Colonel's frustrated attempts to explain himself. Sadly, this time his antagonism went unrewarded.

"I know." O'Neill rubbed the back of his neck absently. "So, Carter, which way? We're going through the forest, aren't we. You're going to make us go through the trees, aren't you. You're going to point that way, and we'll have to hike all the way through the trees to what looks suspiciously like a big honkin' mountain, and then you're going to make us climb it."

Daniel Jackson wandered back to the 'gate, looking around, examining the plant life. Teal'c, keeping a wary eye on the archaeologist, listened in silence while Major Carter explained that yes, they would be going through the forest, toward the foot of the big honkin' mountain, but she wouldn't make them climb it, no, it's not that far, don't be a baby, sir, we can walk it in a couple of hours, and no, she seriously doubted that the trees were evil man-eating aliens that would consume them and spit out their gear.

Once the officers had finished bickering, O'Neill stalked up to Daniel Jackson, who was completely oblivious, and yanked his collar, hard. Daniel Jackson stumbled, regained his balance, glared furiously at O'Neill, and started grumbling to himself in a way that meant they would not be walking in silence for a good long time. Teal'c sighed inwardly, and fell into step behind Major Carter.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a long walk, admittedly, but despite Jack's constant grumbling and Daniel's own irritable mutters, they had achieved their objective. A native of the planet had met them just before the foot of the mountain, and seemed friendly and welcoming. It should have been a happy moment.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

Daniel was hot, sweaty, and tired. The last thing he needed was a belligerent Jack giving him that very calm, very dangerous look that meant the Colonel was not a happy man.

"I mean I don't _know_, Jack. He's speaking some kind of Greek dialect. I don't speak all the Greek dialects ever invented."

"You speak Ancient Egyptian, but not Greek? Three million languages, none of which is Greek?!"

"Well, I could probably ask him where the bus stop is."

"Limited helpfulness, Daniel."

"Excuse me."

The burgeoning argument was cut short. Both combatants whipped their heads around to face the native.

"I'm terribly sorry," the man said, without a trace of an accent. "I was not aware you'd come through the circle of stone."

"You speak English?"

The man nodded. Daniel was so busy gaping at him that Sam had to step into the conversational breach.

"We're explorers," she said, smiling her friendliest smile. "From Earth." She introduced everyone, gesturing at them with her gun until Daniel made bug-eyes at her. Thereafter she gestured with her hand, hiding the gun behind her back.

The man smiled blandly, nodded at Teal'c. "That one bears the symbol of Apophis."

"His name is Teal'c, not 'that one'," Jack snapped, then blinked. "You know Apophis?"

"We know many gods."

"Oh, good." Jack looked around nervously. "Any of them around at the moment?"

"Only one. He is still being held securely. Of course, you will wish to torture him. You are overdue."

Daniel was astonished. "Wha- no..."

"Maybe later," Jack interrupted. "As long as no one is going to try to kill us, we'd like to meet with your leaders to discuss a treaty between-"

"Of course!" The man wheeled around and walked three steps before turning back to them. "Come along."

"Wait." Sam shifted from foot to foot, worried for no reason Daniel could see. Well, other than the offer to torture a god. "What's your name?"

"My apologies! I forget my manners. I am Adonis."

"Adonis," Daniel repeated flatly. His dubious expression was mirrored on the faces of Jack and Sam. Teal'c accepted the name with equilibrium, although he probably knew little about Greek mythology. This man was exactly the opposite of what Daniel thought an Adonis should look like. He was short – maybe 5'6'' – pleasantly round, like Santa Clause, and dressed in a rough brown tunic. And he was hopping up and down impatiently, waiting for them.

At a nod from Jack, they followed him. 


	4. Chapter 4

It was a relief to step into the cool shadows of the low brick building into which Adonis led them. Much to his annoyance, Jack had not been warned about just how hot this planet would be, and he was still not convinced that they weren't going to end up climbing that mountain after all.

Once his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, he realised they were in a completely bare, circular room with a dirt floor, in the centre of which sat two men and two women, all with close-cropped hair, arranged in a semicircle. It looked as though they were posing, and Jack had the admittedly narcissistic feeling that the pose was for the benefit of SG-1.

"Please." Adonis gestured expansively to the floor. Jack nodded, and his team formed a semicircle opposite the poseurs, mimicking their cross-legged positions.

"Greetings," said a woman, who was seated opposite Jack.

Because he knew it would irritate Daniel, Jack tapped the brim of his cap and said, "Yo." He suppressed a grin at the glare Daniel sent his way.

"We are the Elders," said the woman.

"We're SG-1, from Earth."

"How can we be of service?" This from the man opposite Daniel, who looked suspiciously like the woman who had first spoken. Jack blinked, checked the other two Elders, nodded to himself. Yup – quadruplets. Non-identical, obviously, but they still looked exactly alike.

"Trade," he said, in response to the second Elder's question.

"Trade," Elder number three repeated.

This was no good; he would have to name them, at least in his head. "Yeah," he said aloud. "See, that mountain of yours might have this mineral in it that we'd like to get our hands on. So, you let us mine your mountain – we'll put everything back the way we found it, once we're done – and in return, we give you medical supplies, food, technology, whatever."

"Technology?" Elder #4 – or Binky, as Jack decided to think of him – sounded nonplussed.

Jack pointed at his P-90. "Technology."

"We have no need of weapons."

"That's not all we have." Jack looked around. Backpack: medical kit, EVAs, change of clothes, lots and lots of weapons. Nothing interesting.

"We can bring through agricultural tools to make farming easier," Daniel offered. The Elders exchanged unenthusiastic glances.

"Of course we wish to please the friends of the gods, but..."

"Here." Jack slid his watch off and handed it to Elder #1, mentally dubbed Skippy. "This is another, um, example." He was acutely aware of Carter, Teal'c and Daniel all staring at him, and resolutely ignored them. After all, it wasn't like any of them had come up with a better idea, he thought resentfully.

Binky was smiling. "What is this?"

"It's a digital watch."

"What does it do?"

"It tells time."

A collective gasp rose from the group in front of them.

"If we give you permission to mine," said Elder #3, Noddy, in the careless tone of someone trying very hard to pretend they don't want something, "you would give us... digital watches?"

"Absolutely." Jack fought back a grin. Hah! That would show his team why he was in charge. He glances sideways, and was pleased by their dumbstruck expressions. Doubting Thomases, the lot of them. Then, to his horror, Skippy sadly handed back the watch.

"We cannot suffer damage to the mountain. The gods would punish us."

"Your gods wouldn't happen to live in the forest and take the shape of animals, would they?" Daniel asked.

The Elders stared at him. "No."

"Why would they punish you?" Ah, Carter, always with the clever questions.

"The condemned one might get free." Elder #2, Grouchy, shuddered at the very idea. "He has been punished for generations, and must continue to be punished for many more."

"Forgive me," said Daniel, "but it's hard for us to accept that some invisible god-"

"He is not invisible." Now the Elders were regarding Daniel with the worried expression one would use when confronted with an escaped lunatic. Noddy gestured to Adonis. "Show them the Titan."

With that, they seemed to be dismissed. Jack signalled the team, and they followed Adonis outside, squinting in the suddenly bright light until they managed to fumble their sunglasses on.

"Come," Adonis urged.

"Where are we going?" Jack already knew the answer, but he had to ask.

"Up the mountain."

Great. He glared at Carter, convinced that somehow it was her fault. She shrugged sheepishly, as though she half believed it herself. He shook his head to indicate his disappointment in her inability to keep them away from the mountain, heaved a sigh, and turned to their guide. "Let's go, already."


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't that hard, climbing the mountain. There was a path and everything. There was no need for the Colonel to repeatedly shoot her baleful looks, as though she had wanted to climb the damn thing. He could always have said that he didn't want to see the god. Of course, then Daniel would have complained endlessly and either they would be back at the base being shouted at for not getting the treaty, with Daniel still whining, or they would still be here, trudging along behind Adonis, and they would have headaches as well as being too out of breath to speak. If only it weren't so _hot_.

Sam consoled herself with the thought that it wasn't much worse than an obstacle course during training. Yes, it was a steep path, and occasionally they had to scramble up a treacherous piece, and there had been that twelve-foot vertical cliff-face section which was only passable if you were fairly good at rope-climbing, but at least there was no crawling under barbed wire while being yelled at and such.

Finally, when even Teal'c seemed ready to collapse from exhaustion, they reached a plateau. A small, circular one, covered in black, heavy soil. In the centre of the circle stood a flat green rock, six foot square, and chained on top of the rock was a man.

Mutely, the team turned to Jack to see what he would do. Jack, in turn, looked at Adonis. "Explanation, please? Who is that?"

"That?" Adonis was surprised. "That, of course, is Prometheus."

Sam could tell from his expression that Jack was unimpressed. "Stole fire from the gods, did he? Gets his liver pecked out every day?" He glanced at her, and added, "Don't look at me like that. We named a ship after the guy; I did some reading."

The chained man turned his head toward them, and his eyes glowed briefly, though he said nothing.

"Snakehead."

Her team each took three rapid steps backward. She stayed where she was. "Sir, I think..."

"Carter," he replied warningly.

She wasn't looking at him – she was captivated by the sight of the man on the stone – but she knew what message his expression would be trying to convey. _Please don't say anything that's gonna get us stuck here for more than five minutes._ Still, she couldn't ignore the tell-tale tingle in her spine. "Sir, this is a Tok'ra."

Jack sighed, took off his sunglasses, surveyed the scene, and shrugged. "I wish I could say that was unexpected."


	6. Chapter 6

Daniel stared down at the man – the Tok'ra – on the rock. Long hair and a beard, but not as unkempt as he would have expected; apparently the condemned god warranted a haircut and a beard trim every now and again. "How long has he been here?" he wondered out loud.

The Tok'ra rolled his head to squint at Daniel. "Depends," he said. "What planet are you from?" He spoke in the creepy double tones of the goa'uld and the Tok'ra.

Surprised at the lucidity of the question, Daniel said, "Earth."

"That's us," said Jack, scowling at Daniel for being so open. "The originals."

"Earth... Then, as you reckon things, I've been here for just over a thousand years."

Jack, as usual, could be counted on to point out the obvious. "That's a long time."

"Could we speak to your host?" Daniel asked politely.

"He doesn't speak English."

"I might be able to understand anyway."

Prometheus sighed, looked away, and looked back, his eyes normal. The host smiled timidly and said something that sounded like a clucking chicken. The team blinked at him.

"Daniel?"

"I have no idea."

A blink, and Prometheus was back. "He was just greeting you."

"Can I bring you anything, my lord?" Adonis asked, meekly.

"No."

"No?" Jack blinked. "You've been stuck here a thousand years and you don't want, say, a hacksaw?"

"Sir?" Sam looked up. "He can't possibly have been here that long and still be sane."

"And that kind of lifespan would require a sarcophagus," Daniel added. "We all know how well those work."

"Could you not talk about me as if I'm not here?" Prometheus sounded irritated. "I don't need a sarcophagus. This rock here fixes me right up every morning, much better than any _sarcophagus_" – his voice dripped with contempt as he spat the word – "and my native friends keep me well supplied with food, water and conversation. They even have a yearly pilgrimage up here and have a big party. It's fun. And as for the sanity part, well, I might be a little strange by anyone's standards but although I get bored once in a while, there are usually people around, so I have someone other than my host to talk to. The only thing I have to worry about is the backache."

"If you are indeed being punished in the manner of Prometheus in the legends," said Teal'c, "would you not have to be killed every night only to be reconstituted in the morning?"

Daniel exchanged a look with Sam, then blinked at Jack, who was smiling smugly. Obviously, he hadn't done the reading on his own.

"Yes," Prometheus was saying. "Fortunately, the killing thing only happens twice a week, and it's not so bad once you get used to it."

"_Dying_ isn't so bad?" Perhaps Sam had been right about the Tok'ra going crazy, Daniel thought, although it seemed a fairly subtle form of insanity.

"Yes, it is," said Jack, with conviction. "It sucks every time."

"You're right," admitted Prometheus. "I like most of the people on this planet, but the high priest – the one that does the killing – wow, if I ever get my hands on him..."

"Perhaps we should free the Tok'ra," Teal'c suggested.

"Yeah, we can't just leave him here, Jack."

"No!" Adonis was shocked. "You cannot free him! The gods will be angry!"

"Yeah, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Major, you got anything that will get him loose?"

"I'll take a look, sir."

"_Excuse_ me." The team, and a distraught Adonis, turned to Prometheus, who was looking very put out. "Did anyone think to ask my opinion on this freedom thing? I cannot go."

Adonis sagged with relief. "Absolutely. My lord speaks truth."

Daniel was glad that for once he was not on the receiving end of the level three irritable look Jack threw at Adonis. "Why not?"

"I'm here for a reason. I smuggled goa'uld weapons onto this planet, to help start a rebellion. The goa'uld lords found out I was a Tok'ra, and guessed what I had been doing. When I wouldn't tell them where I'd hidden the weapons, they hauled out this rock – one of a kind, I tell you, not their technology – chained me to it, and rigged it so that very bad things will happen if I get loose. Not only that, but there's an alarm so that they will be alerted, and will descend on this planet and wipe out every single human being. You see, it's a matter of conscience. Is it hard to stay sane year after year? Absolutely, but it helps to know I'm saving a people. And, of course, a sense of humour is an aid. My host supplies me with that."

"This does indeed create a problem," Teal'c decided.

"Oh, come on. The goa'ulds are busy with more important things than remembering a thousand-year-old squabble. Alarm or no alarm, they won't come."

"Not just an alarm." Prometheus scowled mightily. "Other things. I don't know what, but the impression I got was that the only reason they would be coming would be to make sure that their little booby trap did its job, wiping out the village."

Jack nodded sagely. "That changes things."

Daniel frowned. "We have to find a way to work around it. We can't leave him here, Jack. The Tok'ra need every man they can get, and plus, it would just be... mean."

"There will be no working around anything," Prometheus insisted. "Anyway, I'm supposed to die again tomorrow night. I can't miss that."

"Yeah," Jack said. "We're just going to head back down to the Stargate, and then we're going to come back with a plan to get you out of here."

"I'm staying!"

"So you can die."

"Yes!"

"I have a suggestion. Provided we can come up with a way to free you safely, with no risk to the people on this planet, why don't you try... _not_ dying?"

"It could be a nice change," Daniel added helpfully.

Prometheus regarded them suspiciously. Probably, Daniel thought, he was imagining an elaborate scheme to trick him into indirectly killing the planet's inhabitants. He was surprised, therefore, when Prometheus nodded as much as his chains would allow. "If you conceive a plan which meets with my approval, I would be willing."

"Great. Do you know, by any chance, how long we would have from the time we got you loose, if we did happen to trip the alarm?"

"A thousand years lies between you and that information. But, from what I can remember... Not very long at all."


	7. Chapter 7

Only SG-1, Hammond thought, as he stared at their hopeful faces from behind his blank expression. Only SG-1 could take a perfectly routine diplomatic mission and turn it into a rescue attempt for a single Tok'ra who was, Major Carter assured him, probably insane. On the other hand, their allies would certainly be pleased to regain a lost member, no matter how loony.

"Contact the Tok'ra, make sure they'll be able to pick him up fairly soon." Daniel and Carter didn't bother to hide their smiles of relief at his verdict. Teal'c, of course, appeared indifferent, and Jack looked as though he were thinking about something entirely unrelated. "Then ask those Elders if they would be willing to move, even if only temporarily. I'll get someone to work finding a suitable planet."

"Don't worry, sir." Jack grinned at him. "It's a lot of work to move them, but once they're gone and the goa'uld have had their little hissy fit, we can always see if it's safe to mine the mountain."

"Your optimism is appreciated, Colonel. Dismissed."

Armed with the knowledge that Prometheus would be welcomed back into the Tok'ra fold, SG-1 returned to P3Y-229 (or something), and found it just as stiflingly hot as when they'd left. The Elders seemed happy to see them, but were dubious about moving their entire village.

Carter managed to manoeuvre the conversation around to a very important question: "How many of you are there?"

"Two hundred and twelve," said Skippy. "There was a terrible plague, eighteen years ago. The vast majority of us perished."

"Not to be insensitive, but that does make it easier to move you." Jack smiled hopefully. "It also allows for the possibility of settling you on a planet that already has other people on it, if you're not opposed to the idea. We can match you for levels of technology and so on."

"It would be pleasing to meet new people." Binky returned his smile. "Would this new world have... digital watches?"

"Probably not, but we would be happy to ship some over with you."

The Elders conferred in a huddle for a few minutes, then turned back to the team. "We accept your offer. The condemned one has inspired pity in us for many generations, but we were afraid to help him. We thank you for providing us with a solution. Perhaps the high priest can be persuaded not to kill him tonight."

"Terrific. When can you be ready to go?"

"We were already preparing to leave for our summer camp. We can be ready by nightfall."

"_Summer_ camp? It gets hotter than this?" Jack shook his head disbelievingly. "I think we'll have to request a cooler planet for you, Skip- uh, Elder."

"A cooler planet?" Skippy beamed. "Then, if you do not mind, perhaps we could make the move permanent."

"That suits us better than fine."


	8. Chapter 8

Sam tapped her finger rapidly on her thigh, gazing with disgust at the base of the strange green rock on which Prometheus lay. The villagers were gathered around the Stargate, being ushered through by Daniel and Teal'c, while she had been here on the plateau for the last four hours. "Sir, if there's a booby trap under there, I can't see it."

"Of course you can't." Prometheus was almost gloating. "Goa-uld technology can be subtle, nay, even abstruse. Not often, but it can be."

The Colonel looked at her, turned in a circle, looked at her again. "Tell you what. If you can't find the thing by noon tomorrow, we'll just risk it. Cut him loose and run."

"Sir, with a little patience-"

"I can be patient when I have to, Carter. Prometheus, on the other hand, must be positively itching to go."

"It would be nice to stand up straight again," Prometheus admitted. "Just as soon as the villagers are safe."

"Which reminds me." Sam addressed Prometheus. "What about the issue of muscle atrophy? After this long, will you really be able to stand?"

"I told you. This rock. It's... It's like a portable open-top sarcophagus without the detrimental side-effects. If the goa'uld lords hadn't been so furious, they might have thought twice about giving it up just to punish me. I can't guarantee anything, but I think there's a good chance I'll be able to run when I need to."

"Let's hope so. Carter, keep looking."

Sam sighed, dropped to her knees, and started digging at the soil underneath the rock.

After a short break for a meal, the Colonel started helping her dig, and after nearly an hour, he said, "What's this?"

She scooted over to look. A small hollow was appearing between the rock and the ground, and the tiny excavation had revealed a silvery circular object about the size of her fist. "I have no idea."

The Colonel sat up to tap Prometheus on the shoulder. "Know anything about a little silver ball?"

"Yes. Don't touch it."

"Sir, it looks like it's got some kind of spring mechanism attached at the base. Fairly straightforward, maybe operating on the same principal as the kind of booby trap Indiana Jones movies are so fond of. He moves, it blows. Or, maybe not blows, but at least sets into action whatever is going to happen."

"Can you disarm it?"

"I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Uh-huh. So can you disarm it?"

She shrugged. "I can try. We should get those chains off first, in case we need to run."

The Colonel shook a finger at Prometheus. "We're cutting you loose. No moving until we say so."

Unfortunately, the hacksaw they had brought made absolutely no impression on the chains, and neither did any of the other implements they had.

"Nary a scratch." Prometheus sighed. "Oh well. It was a nice thought."

"We're not done yet," Sam told him.

Their radios crackled simultaneously, and a filtered version of Daniel's voice said, "Guys? The villagers are all through. We're heading back your way now."

Sam pulled out her radio to respond. "I think it'd be safer if you went back home. We'll be there in a few hours, with a little luck."

Daniel's voice was firm. "No way. We can help. We're on our way."

She looked at the Colonel, who shrugged. "If worst comes to worst, the backup might come in handy. Besides, Teal'c's got the blowtorch."


	9. Chapter 9

Teal'c had developed an affection for the blowtorch that some might have called unhealthy. He was completely indifferent to what the Tau'ri thought about this issue, however, and refused to relinquish the implement despite O'Neill's fairly insistent requests to "try it out". Finally, O'Neill gave up, retreating to stand at a safe distance with Daniel Jackson and Major Carter, his arms folded in the sulky posture of a child denied permission to play with a favourite toy. Teal'c nodded at him solemnly before setting to work cutting through the chains that bound the Tok'ra to the strange rock on which he lay.

Despite his concentration, he heard O'Neill mutter, "It's not like I really wanted to do it, anyway."

Daniel Jackson still sounded somewhat out of breath, although he and the archaeologist had rejoined the team almost twenty minutes before. "He does seem really attached to that thing, Jack."

"I would be too, if he ever let me get near it." That was unfair, Teal'c thought mildly. He had allowed O'Neill to hold it for him while he got some water, the last time he had used it, three missions ago. Admittedly, he had forbidden the human to use it, lest he somehow damage an integral part of the instrument.

Daniel Jackson, gratifyingly, echoed his thoughts. "Maybe he's afraid you'll break it."

"For crying out loud, Daniel, I've used blowtorches before. If anyone's likely to break the damn thing, it's you."

"Which is probably why he asked me to stay at least four feet away from it at all times. At least you can touch it once in a while."

Major Carter interrupted the discussion to state the obvious: a human custom to which Teal'c had had some difficulty adjusting, until he realised that the Tau'ri tended not to notice things unless a slightly more observant one of their number pointed them out. "It's working!"

It was indeed working. Teal'c felt a moment of self-satisfaction – which did not, of course, register on his face – as he noticed that he was doing in a few minutes what his worthy teammates had failed to do in several hours.

Prometheus seemed less than grateful. "The chains are getting hot."

"When we get through them," Major Carter reminded, "don't move."

"I am very used to remaining still, Major." The Tok'ra's tone had adopted something of the icy haughtiness so many of its kind used when talking to humans. "An hour more or less out of an eternity of torment should be fairly easy to deal with."

"Hey!" O'Neill's tone of voice suggested thinly-veiled irritation. "He's talking like a regular snakehead! Think that means he's not crazy anymore?"

"Excuse me. I might be slightly addled, but I am not deaf."

Major Carter risked the Tok'ra's displeasure by whispering, "No, sir, he's still crazy." Teal'c did not need to turn around to know O'Neill was smiling.

Sam was peripherally aware of Daniel fidgeting. He had assumed, when Teal'c had cut through the thick chains in a surprisingly short time, that they would be done with this rescue mission fairly quickly, and although he had said nothing, she could tell he was impatient with her work on the trigger device. She wanted very much to be able to tell him that she would be finished soon, but she had made absolutely no progress. Hell, even Teal'c was starting to shift uncomfortably.

The Colonel sidled over yet again. "How's it going?"

"Absolutely no progress, sir. Well, that's not entirely true. I did find out that it isn't as simple as I thought."

Prometheus groaned loudly. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Don't you dare move." Jack pointed a stern finger at Prometheus. "It won't be long now."

"You said that an hour ago. I can't take it anymore! I'm moving." Before anyone could stop him, he did, rolling effortlessly off the rock and getting to his feet with loose-limbed grace, remnants of the chain hanging from his wrists. He rolled his shoulders, stretched his neck, and grinned. "Ahh. Muscle atrophy, indeed."

Sam wasn't really listening. Instead, she had dropped to her stomach and was staring at the trigger mechanism. As she watched, it went "click". The quiet sound carried well, and she squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation as... nothing happened. "It's been a long time. Maybe the trigger doesn't work anymore." Sam looked up to find the rest of her team, and Prometheus, heading rapidly for the edge of the plateau. "What are you doing?"

"I'm running away, Carter." The "duh" was implicit. Daniel vigorously nodded his agreement.

"A strategic retreat would indeed seem to be in order, Major Carter."

"But we don't even know if anything's happening– "

"It's a goa'uld booby trap, Carter. I'm not really prepared to take the risk."

"And if it is still working," Prometheus added, "the results will be..."

"_Bad_," finished Daniel.

Well, she couldn't argue with that. Snatching up her gear, she followed the team as they ran. 


	10. Chapter 10

Halfway down the mountain, the earthquake started. Prometheus had expected as much. He let the mortals – no, that was the kind of thinking that encouraged the goa'uld to believe themselves gods; he was just as mortal as they were, if somewhat longer-lived. He let the _humans_, along with their Jaffa, get slightly ahead of him as they zig-zagged and dodged rocks, moving faster than was safe but avoiding any serious stumbles, and he managed to stay on his feet by running where they ran. It was a pleasant surprise, the way his body was responding to him despite so many years out of action. All those little muscle exercises he'd done had paid off, apparently. The fact that everyone assumed he was out of his mind caused a small amount of resentment, but he didn't really blame them, because most of the time they were right; the last few days had been stunningly lucid compared to the few hundred years before that.

He began to suspect that he was hallucinating when the entire team of mort – of humans disappeared from in front of him; so much so that it was almost a relief when the ground beneath his feet gave way, and he found himself falling. He landed hard, smacking his head on the ground, and deduced that he was in some sort of tunnel in the middle of a rock slide. There was just enough time for him to crawl to a stretch of tunnel with a relatively stable roof before he passed out.

For a long time after he came to – or maybe it was less than a minute; hard to tell – he wasn't sure if he was actually awake, or if he was, whether or not his eyes were open. If he was, and they were, then he was either blind or it was pitch black. After a while a soft groan and some fumbling noises drifted over to him, and then a sign that he wasn't blind after all: a beam of light appeared from nowhere, throwing some illumination on his surroundings. He sat up reluctantly, resisted the urge to clutch at his head (he had years and years and years of dealing with excruciating agony under his belt; a headache was nothing), and squinted to find the source of the light. He could dimly make out the shape of a human behind it – the female, Sam or Carter or Major Carter, depending on who was talking and what kind of mood they were in.

"Hello?" The beam of light swung his way, blinding him with the glare. "Ow. Ow. Don't do that, please. What is that?"

"Oh, sorry." Mercifully, the light pointed away, at the tunnel wall behind him. "This? It's a flashlight. Do you know where we are?"

"In a tunnel," he grumbled.

She gave a small sigh of frustration, and began exploring with the... flashlight. He savoured the way the new word sounded in his head, then dismissed it as the infantile technology it was. Infantile or not, however, it did enable him to get a better look around. They were definitely in a tunnel: ten feet wide, approximately the same height. The area behind him was completely filled in with fallen rocks. The female – names, he reminded himself, use names – Sam made a soft noise of worry at the sight, but didn't linger over their misfortune. A few more seconds of searching, and the flashlight alighted on a pair of legs, which, he soon discovered, belonged to the one that appeared to be the team leader – Colonel, or Jack, or O'Neill, or, quite frequently, Sir. Sam crawled over to him and gently shook his shoulder.

"Colonel? Sir?"

Jack mumbled something, shifted, and was still.

"Colonel," Sam repeated, more sternly.

"Five more minutes," he muttered.

"Alert!" Sam shouted suddenly, causing Prometheus to jump. "Code red! We're under attack!"

"Gaah!" Jack spasmed into a sitting position and looked around frantically before coming fully awake. "Aargh. Carter?"

"Hello, sir. We seem to be trapped in some sort of tunnel."

"Um. What? Gimme a second." Jack rubbed a hand over his face, flexed his fingers and toes – doing a quick check for broken bones, Prometheus realised – then felt around in his pockets until he retrieved a flashlight similar to Sam's. When he switched it on, there was an appreciable increase in visibility, which was not saying all that much considering how little had been visible before. Now, at least, Prometheus could make out shapes instead of just slightly-less-dark shadows. "Who's where?"

"Prometheus is over there, sir, he's all right. Daniel and Teal'c..." She pointed her flashlight in a direction in which she had not yet looked, and said with relief, "There."

The two humans crawled to their compatriots, causing Prometheus to wonder why no one was getting up and walking, and commenced the waking ceremony.

"Daniel. Da-niel. Wake up, Danny boy."

"Teal'c? You okay?"

Well, if no one else intended to determine the extent of their entrapment, he would have to do it himself. Prometheus got to his feet, swayed, and realised immediately why the other two were crawling. If he hadn't been a parasite particularly adept at healing his host, he would have fallen right over again. As it was, he took a moment to steady himself, snatched a flashlight from Sam, who was too busy with the Jaffa to stop him, and tottered in the opposite direction of the cave-in. He did not have to go far to discover that their ill luck extended to both sides of their little stretch of tunnel: he had only gone a few feet before he encountered another thorough blockage. One deep, slow breath to calm himself, and he went back to the humans. The Jaffa – Teal'c – and the other human – Daniel, Danny, Dr Jackson – were awake and sitting up.

"We're trapped," he said bluntly. "Cave-in on both sides."

Daniel said, "Guh?"

Teal'c stood up slowly, wordlessly took the flashlight from Prometheus, and limped away to check for himself. When he got back, he simply nodded to Jack and sat down again.

Jack returned the nod morosely. "Great. Okay. So, first things first. How long until we run out of air?"

"Depends on how long we were unconscious."

"Which was..."

Daniel spoke up, managing actual words this time. "My watch is broken."

"Mine, too."

"Crappy military technology," Jack grumbled, holding his wrist in the light of his flashlight. "Those Elder guys are going to be disappointed."

Teal'c was stoic. "I carry no watch."

The team of would-be-rescuers swivelled to face Prometheus. He shrugged. "What's a watch?"

"We'll assume we get to live for a few more hours, at least. In that case, any serious injuries that need immediate attention?"

"I think I hurt my ankle," Daniel volunteered.

"Is the pain going to kill you?"

"No."

"Anyone got broken bones, anyone going to bleed to death in the near future?"

"Is a few hours near?" Daniel asked.

"No."

"Then no."

Miraculously, no one had any broken bones, and although they were all covered with cuts, scrapes and bruises, there was nothing life-threatening to put a further dent in their day.

"Anyone still have a pack?"

There was a chorus of "no".

"I've got my gun, sir," Sam offered.

"Me, too."

"And I have my zat gun," Teal'c put in.

Daniel seemed embarrassed. "I have, um... Nothing at all. I even lost my torch."

"Well, we're all alive, that's something." In the light from the two flashlights, Prometheus could see Jack rub his hands together. "Looks like we'll have to try and dig our way out." Ignoring the doubtful murmurs, he looked from side to side. "Which way is out?"

Prometheus pointed to the far end of the tunnel, away from them. "That way."

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

"That's not an answer."

Sam spoke up. "Sir, we don't exactly have many options. We might as well try that way."

"Okay, kids. Let's see if that cave-in is everything it's cracked up to be."


	11. Chapter 11

The cave-in was everything a cave-in should be, and more. After what Daniel guessed was about an hour, he pulled away from the mound of rubble, moving to stand beside Prometheus, who had been watching them instead of helping.

"This isn't going to work."

The rest of the team gave up on scrabbling at the rocks, and joined him, cradling their hands, which were now as bruised, scraped and bleeding as the rest of them.

"I'm surprised you took so long to realise that," said Prometheus, in a highly irritating, patronising manner.

Daniel glared at the Tok'ra before realising the only thing a glare would get him was eyestrain: they had turned off one of the flashlights to save batteries, and he could barely see the others. "We had to try."

"Any other options?" Jack's usual flippant tone was absent; he sounded as tired as Daniel felt.

They thought about it. Eventually, Daniel said slowly, "We could... zat it... three times?"

"That would risk bringing the ceiling down on us," Sam argued.

While Daniel was considering that possibility, Jack said, "Or, we could stay here and die of either suffocation or thirst, whichever comes first. Teal'c?"

"Stand back."

They scuttled back a few feet and watched while Teal'c aimed his zat at the obstructing debris, turned his head away, and fired three times. The familiar blue-lighting effect spider-webbed over the barrier, then faded – taking the rocks with it. The group cringed, waiting for the entire mountain to crash down on them, and only breathed a sigh of relief when two full minutes had passed.

"Okay," said Jack, dusting off his uniform. "Let's move."

They encountered only one other cave-in on their way out, and this one was small enough for them to dig their way out without using the zat gun. This time, Prometheus helped them move rocks and dirt. In no time at all – or what may as well have been no time at all, since none of them had a functioning watch – they emerged from an opening just big enough to squeeze through, and found themselves blinking in bright daylight, just a few minutes' walk from the foot of the mountain. They all gathered round to help pull Teal'c through the small exit, and Daniel, naturally, ended up flat on his back with Teal'c on top of him. Jack helped them both to their feet, and for a while the team stood still, dusting themselves off and checking each other for injuries. While the daylight revealed somewhat more blood than had shown up under torchlight, no one had been concealing life-threatening injuries for the sake of saving the team some worry during their escape from underground. This was just as well, as Jack had threatened to kill anyone that did anything that stupid ever again after Daniel had failed to disclose an insect bite on P4X207 that had turned septic and landed him in the infirmary for a week.

Jack nodded with quiet satisfaction. "That wasn't so hard, was it? No one dead, and it looks like an earthquake was the worst thing they had planned."

Daniel cursed inwardly. Why, when they all knew better, did one of them always have to say something along the lines of "It can't get any worse"? They might as well have sent a written invitation to the more aggressive goa'uld lords to come and kill them, slowly and horribly. True to form, the moment Jack had finished the sentence, the mountainside was filled with the sound of... bagpipes? Daniel frowned. That didn't seem very scary. Well, maybe if they were played _very_ badly...

"Hey, Carter, Daniel. As our resident geniuses, can you tell me if the sky is supposed to be doing that?"

Daniel looked over at Jack, then followed his pointing finger up the mountain. At the top, approximately above the place where Prometheus had been held captive, the sky had turned a deep red. And, as the bagpipe sound continued, the colour deepened and began to spread.

"I don't think so, sir," said Sam.

Jack nodded. "Run away."

Sam took the time to answer, "Yes, sir", before bolting off down the mountain. Daniel followed as fast as he could, with Teal'c and Prometheus in front of him and Jack taking up the rear.

Since he was concentrating very hard on not falling down, it took him a few moments to realise that Jack was humming as he ran. Because the tune was distorted by the fact that every time Jack's feet thumped on the ground, the hum faltered, it took Daniel a few moments more to decipher the song. Eventually, however, the first line of the song came to him. "Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling..." He risked shooting Jack a dirty look, and Jack caught his eye, grinned, and stopped humming. Too late, alas: the song was firmly stuck in his head.

The irritating melody was only dislodged when the piping sound stopped, replaced by an ominous rumbling. They had reached the base of the mountain where it melted into forest, so Daniel dared a look back. The strange redness in the sky was spreading, in all directions. Not fast – they had a good chance of getting to the gate and home before it reached them, if it continued at its present speed – but fast enough to worry him. There could be no delays. The scientific part of him couldn't help but wonder how that was done, and what it was. He supposed Sam's curiosity was even worse. The rest of him screamed like a little girly-man – fortunately it was an inner scream – and made him run faster.


	12. Chapter 12

Stupid, stupid, stupid. You just had to go and say it, didn't you, Jack? Saying the words "that wasn't so hard" before they were safely back at the SGC with the gate closed behind them was completely idiotic, and he should have known better. Jack shook his head as he ran. Stupid.

To make matters worse, he was getting way too old to be running full tilt down a mountain, and then through a forest, without breaking for a rest. Already his lungs were burning, his legs were ready to give way, and he had a stitch in his side – and they still had a long way to go. Let's see, they'd covered the distance from the village to the gate in two hours at a relaxed saunter, so at a flat-out run it should take them... oh, hell. Too long. If he already felt tired, Daniel must be ready to drop, not to mention the snakehead who hadn't walked in a thousand years. He risked a glance behind him, cursed the trees for blocking his view of the sky. A small gap in the branches above revealed that they had gained substantially on the phenomenon, whatever it was, that was covering the sky.

"Okay, guys. Slow it down."

The rest of the team immediately slowed to a fast walk, looking nervously over their shoulders at the sky. At least, Sam and Daniel looked nervously. Teal'c appeared completely disinterested.

They alternated between a fast walk and a slow jog until, finally, mercifully, they reached the edge of the forest and the base of the slope that lead to the Stargate. This time, Jack kept his mouth firmly shut against the urge to gloat about reaching the 'gate well ahead of the red sky. Speaking of which... He turned, walked backwards for a few paces to get a good, tree-free look at the sky's progress. The disturbing red hue had reached the far end of the forest. Below it, thick black smoke arose from the trees, and here and there Jack could make out a flicker of flame shooting up from the uppermost branches.

"Looks hot," he couldn't resist saying.

"No matter," replied Prometheus, in insufferably smug tones. "We will be through the Stargate well before it reaches us."

SG1 froze, staring at the Tok'ra with a mixture of disbelief and hostility.

"What the hell did you say that for?" Jack demanded, as the area around the 'gate exploded with the sound of staff weapons firing. Jack shoved Prometheus back to the cover of the trees, made sure the rest of the team was also retreating, and hid behind a particularly massive trunk. A tiny branch poked into his back, while clods of dirt erupted to either side of his shield. "Jaffa?"

"No," said Teal'c. "It appears to be some sort of automated firing system, designed to prevent escape through the Stargate."

"Typical." He risked a look around the tree trunk, and was nearly decapitated by a bout of laser fire. "Good aim for an automated firing system. Anyone got any ideas?"

There was a moment of silence while everyone thought, hard.

"No, sir."

"I do not."

"We could always go the military route."

This, coming from Daniel, sounded interesting. "And what's that?"

"Blow shit up."

Blinking with surprise at hearing the archaeologist use an actual swearword, Jack fumbled for a reply. "Normally I'd be all for that, Daniel, but what exactly do you suggest we blow up? And what can we use?"

"If we place some kind of charge around the 'gate, it should take out whatever's shooting at us. And the gate'll be fine, you know how hardy they are."

"We don't have any explosives, Danny. We don't even have grenades. And even if we did, the DHD's aren't quite as hardy as the 'gates."

Prometheus cleared his throat. "I may have access to some selective-target explosives."

Jack turned sharply. "Where?"

"A short distance from here. You will recall the reason for my imprisonment on the mountain."

"Do you remember the way?"

"I retraced the route in my mind a hundred times every day, wondering why I didn't just tell the goa'uld where I'd hidden the weapons. It's been a long time since they were concealed, but with luck they will still work."

"Show us. And make it quick. Time is not our friend."

"It's a rock."

"Not just a rock."

Sam looked from Jack to Prometheus and back again. She had to side with the Colonel on this one: the place to which Prometheus had proudly led them did indeed look like a patch of grass in the middle of a forest, on top of which was a rock.

"It's a _big_ rock," Daniel said cautiously. Good old Danny; Sam could always trust him to try and be diplomatic.

Prometheus gave an irritated huff. "You would prefer it if I had left the weapons in the clearing hidden by a small pile of leaves?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, they're hidden. Under the rock." He gestured at the sky, where the red haze was rapidly approaching. "Any time you want to show us how to un-hide them…"

"There." Prometheus pointed to a particularly jagged part of the rock. "Press that."

Jack shot him a suspicious glance. "Why me?"

"Why not? Especially if it is merely a rock."

Sam grinned at Jack's expression – she could tell he was trying to think of a reason why not, and failing. After another look at the sky, he stepped forward, pressed the indicated part of the rock – and back-pedalled rapidly, shaking his hand. "It shocked me!"

The team turned questioningly to Prometheus, who wore what looked suspiciously like a smug smile. "Give it a moment."

As he finished the sentence, a gentle glow began to emanate from the rock, quickly coalescing into the form of a tall, bulky human. Behind that, the rock shimmered, and then there was a small opening in the middle of it, leading downward.

"What the hell is that?" Jack demanded.

"Protection." Prometheus beamed proudly. "I believe you might call it a hologram."

"A hologram? How is that protection?" Jack moved toward the opening, and the hologram hit him solidly on the jaw, sending him crashing backward. Teal'c caught him neatly before he hit the ground.

"Perhaps hologram was the wrong word." Prometheus didn't sound the least apologetic. "I am not a master of your language."

Sam blinked. "You're not?"

"Sadly, no. I merely fake it well."

Jack pulled himself upright, with a bit of help from Teal'c, and glowered at Prometheus. "Care to explain?"

"Protection," Prometheus repeated simply. "He won't harm you if you keep your distance."

Jack tilted his head to the side, drew his sidearm, and fired at the not-hologram. The bullet ricocheted off the rock, and zinged past Sam's ear. She shot Jack a reproachful look, and he shrugged sheepishly.

"How are we supposed to get past him?"

Prometheus turned to the not-a-hologram. "Thank you, soldier, stand down."

The guardian didn't move.

Prometheus frowned, and tried again in the clicking language his host had used when they met. The guardian stood firm.

"Voice recognition?" Daniel asked. Prometheus nodded distractedly.

"The deactivation system must have atrophied," Sam volunteered. "It's been a thousand years; I'm surprised this thing still works at all." She circled it slowly, keeping her distance, until she ended up beside her teammates again. She was good. She was so good. When they got back to Earth, she was asking the General for a pay rise. "Did you see that? It's not functioning properly."

"Felt like it was functioning," Jack grumbled, rubbing his jaw.

"It got confused when Sam moved." Daniel was excited. "It didn't know where to keep its attention. Jack, I bet if you distracted it, we could get into that cave."

"Once inside, I could manually deactivate it," Prometheus volunteered.

"Why me? It's already hit me. Why not Teal'c?"

Teal'c raised a single eyebrow. That was answer enough.

"Fine," Jack muttered sulkily. "I'll distract it. But we'd better make this quick." 


	13. Epilogue

"Admit it! You deliberately waited longer than necessary to deactivate that thing!"

Jack staggered along slightly behind the team, deliberately exaggerating his injuries in the vain hope of making Prometheus feel guilty. He should have known better.

"It _has_ been a thousand years," the snakehead said primly.

Hah. Whatever. No one would convince him that the stuck-up, arrogant… arrogant… _Tok'ra_ hadn't waited an extra minute or so to make sure Jack got pummelled before switching off the not-a-hologram.

Irritation and fresh facial bruising aside, Jack had to admit he was satisfied with the explosives Prometheus had produced from the cave. He had a knack for weaponry, and he could just tell that the small grenade-like objects he was carrying were formidable. They felt pleasingly heavy, and he couldn't wait to throw one and watch it explode.

They hustled back to the 'gate, throwing nervous glances over their shoulders at the rapidly reddening sky, and hid behind the same trees they had used for cover before.

"Okay," said Jack, hefting one of the grenade thingies. "I just throw this thing?"

"Not quite. Twist the two halves in opposite directions; that will cause them to target heat sources. Then throw them, yes, in the general direction of your target."

Carter spoke up. "Wouldn't whatever was shooting at us show up as a heat source only when it _was_ shooting?"

Prometheus cleared his throat. "Well, yes."

Jack rolled his eyes, primed two grenades as instructed, watched Teal'c do the same. They bolted from cover at the same time, threw the explosives, pushing themselves to the limit to stay ahead of the constantly re-targeting system that had started firing the moment they left the shelter of the trees. The expected explosion that would take out the system did not come.

Damn it, Jack thought fiercely, don't tell me those things don't work properly either. A laser bolt caught the back of his shoe, melting the rubber sole, and he stumbled, dropped to one knee, closed his eyes in anticipation, and was shoved to the ground by a rush of hot air.

After a second, he opened his eyes. He didn't _feel_ dead. It had happened often enough that he knew what death felt like, and this wasn't it. He rolled onto his back, sat up, and stared in delight at two smoking ruins on either side of the 'gate. Nothing was shooting at him! Although… the back of his head was starting to feel uncomfortable warm… He scrambled gracelessly to his feet, spun to face the mountain. The red sky was close, too close, and he could actually see nearby trees beginning to smoulder.

"Dial us home, Danny!"

"I'm dialling!"

The DHD was mercifully intact, and it took less than a minute for Daniel to dial them home and send the code. Even so, by the time the 'gate opened they were all wincing, and Jack felt like he was standing in a giant oven turned to "grill". He shoved Prometheus through, and, after a quick check that his team was heading in the right direction, he followed.

The 'gate flung him out head first, so he tucked in his shoulder, rolled, and came to his feet just in time to see Danny catapult out of the gate. The archaeologist landed hard, slid all the way down the ramp on his butt, and came to a gentle halt at the feet of General Hammond.

Hammond stared at Danny for a moment, then looked up at Jack. "How was the mission?"

"Uneventful, sir," he said, nodding smugly at Janet. Hah. She couldn't berate him for bringing his team home in bad condition, not this time.

"What happened to all of your hands?" Janet asked, glancing around at the team.

Oh, damn it, he'd forgotten about that. "That's from digging through the two cave-ins."

"All of you are covered in scrapes and cuts and bruises," Janet observed, a definite note of disapproval in her voice.

"You can't blame me for that!" Jack protested. "That's from falling through the mountain!"

"Your melted boot?"

"From those automated laser thingies that shot at us from around the 'gate."

"Your black eye?"

"Fighting with a sort-of-hologram so we could get to explosives to take out the automated laser thingies."

"Your singed hair?"

"Probably from the explosion that took out the automated laser thingies."

"And why do you all look like you have extremely bad sunburns?"

"Well, see, the sky went red and started this whole earth-scorching thing, and we were a little slow to get off the planet."

Janet narrowed her eyes. "I'll see you all in sickbay."

Hammond tilted his head, attracting Jack's attention. "Uneventful?"

"Sir, a more accurate phrasing would be that it was not particularly irregular."

"Indeed. Briefing room in an hour?"

"Yes, sir."

Hammond turned to Prometheus, who was standing to one side of the ramp, looking around suspiciously. "If you'd like to come with me, there's someone that wants to meet you."

Prometheus glanced at Carter, who nodded, then at Jack, who gave him a thumbs-up, then inclined his head politely and followed Hammond out of the gate room.

Epilogue bitty

...

..

.

Coffee, coffee, coffee, Daniel thought happily. He had been caffeine deprived for _hours_ while rescuing Prometheus, and the two days and twenty-six cups of coffee since then had not been sufficient to calm the shock to his system. As he entered the mess hall, he saw Jack at a table in the corner, facing the door, as usual. He considered lunch, dismissed it as unnecessary, grabbed two cups of coffee, and joined Jack.

"Hi."

"Yo." Jack poked disconsolately at the plate in front of him, which contained a congealed mass that might once have been mashed potatoes with gravy.

"Sam's dad went back to the Tok'ra this morning. Apparently Prometheus is only slightly crazy, and his experience should come in handy."

"His thousand years of experience of being tortured by Goa'uld?" Jack shrugged. "As long as he's off the base."

Daniel nodded, downed a cup of coffee, then spent thirty seconds gasping for air. He hadn't expected it to be quite so hot. "So, what's on the agenda for this week?" he asked, once he'd recovered.

"We're planet-hopping again tomorrow. Another first contact."

Daniel went pale, protectively clutching the remaining coffee to his chest. "Already?"

"I requested it. I thought Prometheus was going to stay another week, and he's such an arrogant…"

"Oh. Well. We, uh, we'll be back soon, though, right?"

"Sure. Three days."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. He was willing to bet that Jack wouldn't look so smug and knowing with those mashed potatoes smooshed into his face.

Jack grinned at him. "Better bring your thermos, Danny. It's gonna be a good ride."


End file.
